


Only Human

by JustAnotherFan94



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Appendicitis, Family, Feels, Fever, Fever Dreams, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Steven Universe: The Movie, Sickfic, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22165663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherFan94/pseuds/JustAnotherFan94
Summary: No rest for the weary! Whether it's working on Little Homeworld, rebuilding Beach City, or making time for his friends and family, Steve Universe can do it all! ...Right?
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

" _Hm-h-hmm, in the future… dadot-dah dah the future, and it's briii-_ _ **huuhh**_ _…_ "

Humming all the time, Steven Quartz Universe stifled a yawn as he strode through town. It was a beautiful day in Beach City: the sun was blazing, a light breeze was drifting by, and (thanks to Steven) all organic life on Earth had survived another day. While things had been a bit touch-and-go a mere twelve hours ago, he and the Crystal Gems had - once again - vanquished yet another plot to destroy his mother's colony. Literally kissing the planet back to life, Steven spent the entire night restoring Earth's surface: with Pearl, Amethyst and Garnet watching with pride the whole time. 'True statesmanship at its finest', Pearl had told Steven. Shrugging at the response, the sixteen-year-old claimed it was simply another day.

Yes, with this last brundt with danger, Steven understood that his role in diplomacy between gems, Earth, and Homeworld would never truly be done. His 'happily ever after' was going to take a lot of time and work! And so, with dark circles beneath his eyes, he strolled on as he scrolled through today's checklist.

' _Right, so Little Homeworld's scaffolding needs to be patched up… Gotta talk with Bismuth about that. Should be done by lunch, so I'll be right on time for my meeting with the mayor. Not to mention the jam session with Dad later... Then we can - oh, wait, Connie! I completely forgot! She-'_

" _ **Steven!**_ "

The human-gem hybrid looked up from the list with a gasp at the sound of his name being called. Squinting at the sky, Steven could see a blob of green descending from an orb-like floatation device. He smiled weakly as the shape took a more detailed form.

"Oh, hey Peridot!" the boy exclaimed, "How's it-"

"-No time to explain," the small gem insisted, grabbing him by the arm, "Your assistance is required at the site. We're beginning to reconstruct some of the building structures, and we need you to - are you LISTENING to me?!"

"Wha?" clearly distracted, Peridot's shrill cry brought Steven back into the conversation, "Right, sorry. Look, of course I'll help, but... can it wait 'til later? Connie's home from space camp, and I promised I'd hear all about it as soon as-"

"-But Little Homeworld!" Peridot responded, "It's only about ninety-one-point-four percent complete! _Ninety-one-point-four percent_!" We need every falange to join the starboard if we're going to finish this thing!"

Steven cocked an eyebrow, "You mean… 'all hands on deck'?"

"That's _precisely_ what I'm saying!" Peridot spat, palming her face.

Giggling, Steven replied, "Right. Do you think we can - _**aagh**_!"

With a grunt, Steven doubled over. A wave of worry swept over him as a sharp pain surged through his abdomen. Visibly confused, Peridot's expression shifted.

"Arrrre you alright?"

With an abrupt lie, Steven faked a laugh, "U-uh, yup! J-just, um… Peridot, I-I gotta run. See you at the site later?"

"Uhhh..."

"Ofcourseyouwill, definitely, okaybyyye!"

Steven hastened his pace to the nearest Warp Pad as sweat began to lace his brow.

' _Wh-wha?! N-no way, it can't be… Sh-she's gone now, w-we solved everything… Didn't we?'_

The young man's thoughts were sent whirring now as he lifted his shirt. His gem looked fine: nice and shiny, no visible cracks. Steven huffed out a relieved sigh.

' _Y-you're okay. You're okay. Just chill out."_

In seconds, Steven was finally home. Though he expelled another yawn, the boy was genuinely excited to know that Connie would be arriving soon to regale him with her tales. He checked his Cookie Cat watch, revealing the time.

' _Hmm, Connie won't be here for another fifteen minutes. Might be able to sneak a quick nap in...'_

Before Steven could take one step off the Warp Pad, another pang surged through his stomach.

" _Rrr_ _ **uh**_ _-_!"

His grunt was becoming more of a moan. The pain was not fleeting as quickly as before. His round face scrunched into a grimace, teeth gritted as he seethed.

' _Th-this can't be happening. I-'_

-" _Shh!_ I heard him…"

-"Y'sure, Pearl?"

-"I said, _'Shhhh'_ , Amethyst! What part of _**'Shhhh'**_ don't you understand?!"

-"Well, thanks to you both, I predict that the surprise has been compromised."

His thoughts were broken by familiar voices. Distracting him from his discomfort, the boy leapt from the Warp Pad and into the kitchen. Only to find…

" _ **Surprise!"**_

Steven's starry eyes grew wide as he gazed at the scene. The first thing that came into view was along the kitchen's wall, where large bubbly letters read 'Way to Go!' with a small paper cut-out out of Earth strung beside it. He shifted his sights to the table, supporting a massive pile of donuts resembling that of a makeshift cake. Around this, Steven found his family gathered by the 'cake': with Pearl's hands grasped supportively, Garnet by her side wiping a tear from beneath her glasses, and Amethyst jumping up and down with a party noise-blower in hand. His own eyes streaming, Steven ran toward them.

"You guys!" Steven chuckled, claiming the center of the group hug, "Wh-what's all this?! It… is it for me?"

"Uh, duuuuh!" Amethyst cried, "We wouldn't even _be_ here if it wasn't for you, dude!"

"She's correct, Steven," Pearl added, "And we haven't gotten the chance to thank you properly for all you've done."

"And you did, indeed, do quite a lot," Garnet sighed, scruffing Steven's curly black hair, "The entire universe should be very grateful for you, Steven."

"Did somebody say, _**Universe**_?! Caravina… Caravina!"

The team of gems perked up at the call, accompanied by the sound of an electric guitar thrumming from the living room. To nobody's surprise, the voice belonged to none other than Greg Universe.

"Dad!" Steven cheered, embracing the unevenly tanned man.

"Hey there, Steve-o," the former rockstar cried, giving his son an exaggerated kiss on the head with a, " _Muuuuah_!"

"Da-had," Steven playfully groaned, his cheeks growing flush.

"Hey, ya may be a cool, planet-saving superhero, but you're still my little Shtoo-ball!"

"N'aw, Dad, I-"

Steven's reply was interrupted by a soft giggle. Tracking where it came from, the boy curiously scanned the living room to find the front door open: revealing his dear friend, Connie Maheswaran, decked in her navy-and-white space camp uniform. With a warm smile, the tan teen casually made way toward her cosmic companion. To Steven, it was almost like she was walking in slow motion. Could she go faster? Could he meet her halfway? Either way, Steven felt amazingly trapped as he gazed at the young woman: her circular glasses revealing happy eyes when she finally stood toe-to-toe with the boy.

It took a moment for them to say anything.

"So… what did I miss?"

There was a pause. Not for long, however. Soon, a burst of laughter encapsulated the room - tears forming in both teenagers' eyes. A tight embrace immediately followed, both still chuckling as they held each other closely. After a good minute, Steven was the first to lift his head from Connie's shoulder.

"Ya gotta tell me everything, Connie! What was space camp like? D-did they know about gems at all? Is that even a _thing_ to them?! How about-"

"Woah, woah! Slow your roll, hotshot!" Connie laughed, "I was only there for, like, a day, y'know."

The boy could feel his face growing hotter, "Right, right. It's just… Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see - oh, wow," Connie's smile dropped slightly. Her brow furrowed as she caught a steady glimpse at her friend. His eyes, though bright and starry, were slightly puffy and bloodshot. Dark circles and bags, too, encompassed them. Even as they held each other, she could feel how his knees were subtly shaking. It looked like the poor thing hadn't slept all night… mainly because he didn't. She began to gently pull him toward the couch, urging him to sit down for just a second.

"Y'know, uh, I could tell you more about it tomorrow. It's been a long day, and y'look like you could use some rest."

"'R-rest'?" Steven scoffed, "What for? I've got time! Besides, tomorrow I'm getting together with Lars and Sadie. They're getting the band back together for another set, and -"

Steven stopped abruptly to stifle another yawn. With this, he could feel Connie's demeanor shift. She was so caring, so concerned… so connected to him. The human-gem hybrid pressed his hand on top of hers, revealing the battle scar atop his arm from his most recent endeavor. The girl stared at it unapologetically. It was still so fresh…

Steven cocked his head, encouraging her to look up at him.

"Anyway, the point is… _This_ is where I wanna be. Right here… right now…"

A deep blush burned through both of their cheeks. Not even realizing that they were enraptured in another gaze, the two jerked their heads at the sound of someone's throat clearing.

"W-well," Pearl noted, entering the living room, "This certainly is a nice opportunity for you both to catch up."

"-So we might as well make it a catch-up partaaaaay!" Amethyst hopped on the coffee table, noise-maker clenched in her teeth as she hooped and hollered.

"Amethyst!" Garnet scolded, extending a clasped spray bottle filled with water, "What did we talk about?"

"Ugh," the purple gem groaned, rolling her eyes beneath her bangs, "No... jumping on the furniture?"

"'No jumping on the furniture'," Garnet echoed, "Believe me… it doesn't end well."

Disgruntledly, Amethyst gently lowered herself from the table to the floor. With everybody settled in, the living room instantly bubbled with lively conversation. As the celebration was well underway, the guest of honor felt his energy (or, at least, what was left of it) begin to drain. Naturally, he was thrilled to be spending quality time with everybody, but things were really starting to catch up with him.

It was the couch's fault, really: it felt far more comfortable than usual. So soft, so engaging… His swollen eyelids were growing heavier with each second. Of course, he fought through it, though. He didn't want Connie to get offended! After all, he was so glad to have her here with him. Battling his urge to drift off, Steven continued to listen as Connie went on.

"-And then, we went over the Cosmos! And then the constellations! They got a few things right, but they totally neglected to mention the…"

Steven nodded diligently, throwing in a brief comment every now and then as she continued. Though he could hardly look away from her, Steven's attention slightly wavered. In the periphery of his blurring vision, he could just barely make out the sunset - with the sky's shade changing from blue to pink through the open windows. Pink…

Pink…

Pink Diamond…

Poor Spinel…

How she hurt her…How she hurt _so many_ … Such a mess she left, such a _huge_ mess. And here he was, constantly bending over backwards to find ways to clean it up. But what else could he do? He couldn't just let these poor people suffer from her carelessness. He couldn't… and he wouldn't. Even still, the thought of it, at times, made his stomach turn. _This_ was one of those times. The thought of it wrenched through him… made him feel physically ill, made him -

"Steven?... Steven?"

"Huh, wha-?"

The teen perked up to the sound of his father's voice, his vision refocusing. When had his eyes closed?

Connie giggled as his father shrugged, "Whoops! Didn't mean t'wake ya, kiddo. Just figured you might wanna hear a new tune I've been workin' on."

Normally, this would send Steven through the roof with excitement. But suddenly, the young gem felt a wave of nausea crash over him. All of the overly happy faces crowding around him didn't help much, either. Breath going slightly shallow, Steven fought to flash a manufactured smile.

"Y-y'know I'd love to, Dad," Steven lied, rising unsteadily from the couch, "B-but I gotta run."

A roar of disappointed groans echoed in response.

"You're leaving?" Greg questioned.

"Aw, boooo!" Amethyst chanted.

"But Steven, this... party's for you," Pearl stated, discouragement basted in her voice.

"I-I know, 'm sorry," Steven hummed, his own words slurring a bit, "But I-I promised Peridot that I'd drop by to help with Little Homeworld. 'M just gonna change real quick..."

"Y'sure you're up to it, kiddo?" Greg added, his brow furrowing.

' _No,'_ Steven thought.

"Positive," Steven replied.

Each step he took toward the stairs felt an eternity. Were they farther away? It had been a while since he'd been home. Swaying a bit, Steven used all of his strength to maintain his balance. He was startled from his concentration by the call of Amethyst.

"You wanna take a donut for the road, little man?"

The very thought of food made Steven's stomach churn. Battling the urge to vomit, the boy turned towards the steps as he replied, "N-no, th-that's… that's…"

He managed to make it up two steps. His face flashed a pale green before emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor. Almost immediately after, he felt the weight of his body drop down on him.

"Woah, there!" Greg exclaimed, just barely catching his son with Pearl not far behind.

" _Steven!_ " Connie screeched, tears stinging her eyes.

"Get him to the couch," Garnet ordered.

Greg and Pearl supported either side of the young man, sharing a worried glance at each other. Steven's efforts were useless, trying miserably to recover from the faint.

"I-I'm okay," he insisted breathlessly, "I-I'm-"

"Shhh," Pearl cooed, lowering him onto the couch, "It's alright, just lay right there."

"B-but-"

"-No buts, Steven," Garnet insisted, with two of her three eyes meeting his.

She could practically feel the discomfort permeating from him. Sweat began to flow profusely from his opaque skin, his body shivering as he felt yet another shock of pain permeating his abdomen. His shallow breath hitched as his body rebelled against him. It reminded him of the time White Diamond removed his gem… only, this was worse. _Way_ worse.

" _ **N'aaargh!**_ " the boy cried, tears emerging from the corners of his eyes. He clutched his stomach, contorting into a small, quaking ball. The gems shared a look, assuming the worst.

"Check his gem," Pearl insisted, Garnet already starting to lift Steven's shirt. She was visibly frustrated.

"It looks -"

" _F-fine_ …"

Everybody's glance shifted to Steven as he completed the fusion's sentence.

"I-I checked… i-it's f-fine…"

"Uh, yeah," Amethyst added, "But _you're_ not."

Steven hated every second of this. Speaking of seconds, he didn't have time for this! There was a lot of work to be done, and he wasn't going to let a little stomach ache stop him from taking care of things.

' _J-just get up,_ ' he thought to himself, _'Th-they won't freak out anymore if you just_ _ **get up**_ _.'_

Trying with all of his might, Steven grunted as he struggled to lift himself into an upright position. He was shaking right down to the core, futile in his efforts to maintain composure. A large, sunburnt hand gently pressed his shoulder back down.

"Easy there, champ." His face stained with worry, Greg knelt down beside his shivering son.

"You don't look so hot," he commented, his tone hushed. He then placed his hand on Steven's forehead, only to find that it was sweltering with heat. Greg's eyebrows jolted upward.

"Oh boy. I stand corrected… You're burning up."

"What?!" the gems shrieked, rushing to Greg as he stood up.

"Yeah," Greg shrugged discerningly, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, "H-he's got a spiked fever."

"But that's _impossible_ ," Pearl replied, her fists clenched, "Gems don't get fevers!"

"No," Connie chimed in, "But… humans do."

It took a moment of quiet for everybody to realize just what Connie meant. The gems looked at each other, then at Greg.

Pearl crossed her arms. "Could it… be possible?"

Greg scratched his head. "I… I dunno."

As the two stared at each other, Connie knelt down beside her ailing friend. With bleary eyes, Steven peered at her, smiling weakly. She did the same, before her grin faded.

"Steven," Connie instructed, lifting his shirt, "You need to tell me if this hurts. Okay?"

The teen nodded, grabbing the girl's hand as he braced himself.

"Alright…" Using her two forefingers, Connie lightly pressed down on the right side of Steven's stomach. "Does this-"

" _Ggr_ _ **yaah**_ _! A-_ _ **ah**_ _, y-y_ _ **eh**_ _, yes!_ " the boy wailed, his eyes welling up with tears once again.

Connie nodded, turning to the others who were visibly mortified. Without a word, she whipped out her phone.

"Wh-who are you calling?!" Pearl asked, panic in her tone.

Without a reply to the gem, Connie dialed as quickly as her fingers could manage. The call was picked up almost instantaneously.

"Mom? Yeah… With Steven… He needs help... Looks like a Code Nine to me… Yes, I checked the right side… The _right_ \- Look, I _know_ he's a gem, but… Mom, **please** , he… Okay. Thanks."

The girl hung up the phone and lowered her head. Pearl and Amethyst rushed over to her.

"What is it?!" Pearl yelled frantically.

"What's wrong with him?!" Amethyst added, her voice hoarse with aggravation.

Connie's eyes lifted to reveal streams of tears. Again, saying nothing in response, she turned to Greg.

"Mr. Universe," she said, her voice shaking, "C-can you start your van? Steven needs to go to the hospital."

Eyes glassy, Greg didn't reply. He was clearly waiting for more of an explanation than that.

Connie huffed heavily as she continued.

"He… he might have Appendicitis."

Unaware of this disease and its nature, the gems looked to Greg for the appropriate response. Greg remained still as Connie continued.

"M-my mom and her staff will be there to help him when we gets there, just… Just ple-please…"

Soft sobs began to shake Connie's frame. Without a word, Greg patted the girl's head and proceeded to cradle Steven as he held him in his arms. Meanwhile, Amethyst rushed to hold open the door as the team steadily made way toward the van.

Greg quickly, yet gingerly, handed the boy off to Garnet as he rushed to start the vehicle. A grimace of worry stained their faces in the exchange.

"We've got him," the fusion stated calmly, leading a teary-eyed Greg to sigh lightly.

Laying Steven down gently, Garnet nodded in appreciation as Connie balled up her jacket to form a makeshift pillow. Pearl managed to swipe a blanket on the way out of the house, cocooning it around the shivering teen. The trunk's door had barely closed before Greg punched the gas.

" _Mmph_ ," Steven groaned, feeling his body jerk with the car's erratic motions.

Garnet lowered her glasses, peering at Steven to meet his weak gaze through his slitted eyelids.

"You're going to be alright, Steven… You just have to…"

There was silence.

' _What_?' Steven thought. No response.

'' _Just have to' what, Garnet?_ '

That was when everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Pitch black.

That's all he saw at first. Though his eyes were wide open, Steven was unable to see a thing. He just needed something to focus on. Anything!

As he adjusted to the view, things were starting to take form. It reminded him of the snowy TV screen he'd seen when the cable went out. The picture would go in, then out. Then in, then out again. This picture, however, was becoming more and more… Pink.

' _Oh,_ _ **fantastic**_ _,'_ he thought to himself.

There he was, back in a familiar landscape of mountainous cotton-candied clouds, salmon sand, and cascading plush pink waves. Though this time, his toes were not immersed in the water, as they usually were. No, no. This time, he was in a bed. He looked down, curiously, to find both feet sticking out from beneath a light pink comforter.

"Huh? _**Argh…**_ " Steven doubled over once again, a sharp shock surging through his stomach once more.

"Oh, Steven…I'm sorry."

He gasped at the sound of his name, slowly jerking his body as far as the pain would allow him.

"Wh...whadda you want?" Steven grimaced, his teary eyes landing on the large woman.

With large eyes beaming, Rose Quartz gazed upon her child: her massive, pink curls springing in all directions. Her lips slightly parted, the gem began to speak.

"I'm… glad to see you. Though not like this..."

Steven huffed heavily, _'I thought we did this before,'_ he thought.

"You're not real, y'know," the boy stated to the apparition, "You're just in my head."

"I know," the woman replied, sitting beside her son on the bed, "But you're sick. And a mother should be there for her son when he's sick."

Steven didn't look up. The pink matriarch continued.

"You used to love those television specials, didn't you? Where the main character would get hurt or sick? And the mother would rush to them. Comfort them. Be with them."

Again, the human-gem hybrid averted his stare. His tired eyes were growing glossy as she pressed on.

"You need to know that I am here with you, Steven. Always. You can't see me, or hear me… but I'm there. I'm always with you. You need to understand this."

There was a long pause. Without looking up, Steven quietly began to speak.

"Oh, I understand…"

Not moving an inch, the human-gem hybrid pressed on, his voice flat.

"You're always with me, huh?"

The pink gem quietly nodded.

"' _Always_ with me'?"

Steven slowly stood up in the bed. Rose's eyes flashed with worry.

"Steven, don't-"

"Were you 'with me' when I fought with Bismuth? When you _trapped_ her? And didn't even tell anyone?"

"Steven?"

"Were you 'with me' when I was trapped out in space, with that Ruby soldier who wanted me dead?!"

His voice was growing louder, deeper. Rose looked on, not knowing what to say.

"I, I-"

"Were you _**with me**_ when Spinel sobbed for you - and _**slashed**_ at me - and _**blamed**_ me for _**something I didn't even do**_?!"

"Steven, please -"

" _ **I'm not finished, Rose**_ **.** "

His tone was shaky, but severe. Leaking from his eyes and nose, the young gem continued.

"You… You were a _mess_. You _are_ a mess. And the worst part of all? You're _**my**_ mess! And you know what?! I'm… Gah, I'm..."

He clasped his mouth, sobs breaking through him without control.

"I'm…so... _tired_. I-I'm so sick and _tired_ of cleaning up after you. A-and having you ' _always with me_ '! But you wanna know what I'm the _**most**_ tired of?!"

Rose said nothing.

"Well, _**do you?!**_ "

He came nose-to-nose with her as she lowered her head, eyes shut tight.

" _ **I-I'm tired… I'm tired of being made from you!**_ "

Heaving deeply, the boy openly sobbed into the bed's pillow. As he carried on, Steven could feel the pain in the pit of his stomach tighten. His face, already flushed from the fever, was growing more and more reddened. Each cry brought choked gasps and hiccups, and his hitching breath left him like a fish out of water - struggling to breathe as he cried, pitifully hiding his face in his hands.

He then felt the soft pressure of a gentle hand grasping his shoulder.

"Steven… Do you remember the videotape I left you?"

The young gem continued to sob, softer this time.

"Do you remember what I told you? What you were going to be?"

Revealing his reddened face, Steven sniveled as he nodded lightly.

"I said, 'Steven… you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be'-"

"-A h-human being," he managed to choke out.

"That's right, Steven," Rose added, stroking her son's curly ebony locks, "'A human being'! The very _best_ thing that you can be in this world. And you know what else, Steven?"

Steven looked up at her.

"You are your own person."

Wiping his nose, the young gem's silence urged her to go on.

"I have… made mistakes. _Several_ mistakes," Rose's own cheeks began to seethe, "But you are not me, Steven. These mistakes… they are not yours. And they are not _you_."

"S-sure does feel that way sometimes," Steven huffed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Yes, that's true. And you haven't gotten much sleep these past few days, have you?"

The boy nodded.

"Oh, Steven. You _are_ tired. Tired of… 'cleaning up messes', and fixing problems, and...being _part_ of me," Rose's voice cracked as she muttered this last line, "...But it's okay to be tired sometimes. It's okay to be mad! It's okay to give yourself a break… You're only human, y'know?"

Steven's brows furrowed as she said that.

Rose continued, wiping her child's eyes with the frills of her pink dress. She then pointed to the brilliant gem on the boy's stomach. Again, he writhed in pain as the ache returned.

"Steven… you see this? This is only part of you. A very _small_ part. But the truly wonderful, amazing part of you," she slowly moved her hand towards the boy's chest, "Is in here."

Steven looked down at his star-patterned shirt, then back into his mother's star-crossed eyes.

"You just have to _remember that_."

The young gem couldn't look away from her. He could make out every detail in her pretty face: each and every feature was so transparent, so captivating. Her smile was so warm, so inviting. He could feel his entire body going practically numb. Every tear, now dried. Every ache, now gone. If he could live in this moment forever, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

But he'd had this dream before. And just like clockwork, the fluffy pink clouds turned grey - and rain lightly started to fall. Both looked up to the sky, then back at each other.

"I hate this part, too," Rose sighed, caressing her son's cheek, "I hope you feel better, Steven."

Steven blinked rapidly. The snowy TV spots were coming back!

"W-wait…"

"It's time to wake up now…"

Her face, it was fading quickly. Steven could feel himself being pulled into the darkness… away from her.

" _ **W-wait**_!"

"Wake up, Steven…"

All was nearly black. With his loudest voice, Steven shrieked,

" _ **Wait**_ **!"**

Nothing was calling back to him now. Back in the darkness, a wave of despair took over Steven. Though, this time… there was a light. It was very small, barely noticeable, but it was better than nothing. He couldn't do much except stare at it. That is, until he heard the faintest cry...

"~Steven?"

He knew that voice. He knew it! It wasn't very familiar to him, but he'd heard it once or twice before. Pushing against the darkness, Steven swam toward the light, now growing in width and intensity. The voice grew slightly louder…

"~Steven, it's time to wake up now."

' _Almost there,'_ he thought, _'Almost there!'_

His eyeballs burned as the light blinded him. He could see nothing, shutting his eyes tight.

Then, blinking against the discomfort, his eyes began to adjust.

"...Steven? Well, look who's back..."


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, look who's back…"

The slits in his vision revealed a blurred image before him. Initially, it was hard to make out. Some unique, oblong blob. He was _sure_ it was a person, definitely. One with tall stature, as Steven could just make out the figure's darkish skin and hair. Blinking heavily, the teen squinted as his vision became clearer.

"D-Doctor Maheswaran?" Steven was shocked by the hoarseness in his voice.

"You're correct," Dr. Maheswaran noted, scribbling in her notepad, "Gave everyone quite the scare, young man."

Without much effort, Steven's eyes shifted about the strange room. He assumed it was a hospital. It looked just like the ones on television! Beside him on the left was a tray, with numerous little buttons and switches he'd never seen before. At the foot of his bed, he could see his feet poking out from beneath a white comforter.

_~Crrrrsshhhh!~_

He was startled slightly by the light beat of thunder erupting outside; and beside the rain-stained window was his sleeping, snoring father, who woke with a start from the uncomfortable looking chair.

"-Wha? Who's'm-" Greg slowly mumbled himself into consciousness. He gave a grizzly yawn as he greeted Connie's mother.

"Mornin', Doc," the former rockstar consented with a stretch, "How's the patient?"

"Well," Dr. Maheswaran commented, glancing at her watch, "Mr. Universe, you'll be happy to know two things. First of all: it's two in the afternoon. And secondly, your son is -"

Just then, Greg looked over towards the hospital bed to find his son giving him a small smile.

" _ **STEVEN!"**_

"...Awake."

Greg had never moved so quickly in all his life. He leapt from the chair, racing towards his boy, and kissed him relentlessly on the forehead. Far too pleased to be embarrassed, Steven simply chuckled. Dr. Maheswaran (who was not the most… affectionate type) merely stared.

"I'll… give you both some privacy."

Barely noticing that she'd left, Greg and Steven laughed together, tears forming in the beaming father's eyes.

"H-how're ya feelin', Shtoo-ball?!" Greg pressed, feeling his son's forehead for a fever.

"Well, I-"

" _ **STEVEN!"**_

As if on cue, in came the Crystal Gems. Amethyst's cry ran far above the rest, but both Pearl and Garnet were equally excited to see the boy conscious. Each took turns giving him hugs and kisses, Steven's face blushing deeply the entire time.

"I-it's great to see you guys, too," he laughed, wiping some slobber from his cheeks.

"You certainly did give us quite the scare, Steven," Pearl replied, rubbing his head.

"How do you feel?" Garnet inquired, tucking the teen deeper into his blanket.

"I - _**ow!**_ _"_ Everybody went silent as the boy flinched in pain. Everybody… except Amethyst.

"Oh… that's probably from your scar."

Steven cocked an eyebrow quizzically.

"'Scar'? Whaddya mean?" He looked down at his wrist. The pain certainly didn't come from there.

"Nah, not that one," Amethyst lifted his blanket and nightgown, "Here, lemme show ya-"

" _Amethyst!_ "

"What?! Somebody's gotta show 'im!"

"S-show me what?" Steven was growing impatient.

" _This_ ," Amethyst exclaimed, "This is what's hurtin' ya."

"Woah…"

Steven couldn't stop looking at it. There, right beside his gem, was a four-inch set of stitches etched into his abdomen. Though not very big, Steven could still feel the slight discomfort. Even still, the pain wasn't _nearly_ as bad as it was. More intrigued than anything, Steven looked to his family.

"W-what happened to me?"

"Allow me to explain," Pearl piped up.

"Oh, here we go," Amethyst groaned, slapping a palm to her forehead.

"Well, I _was_ the one paying the most attention to Connie as she explained it... You see, Steven, you almost _died_ -"

" _Pearl!_ " Garnet scolded, teeth clenched.

"What?! Is that not the truth?"

"Er, let me tell ya, son," Greg chimed in, attempting to diffuse the tension, "You sort of had, uh… well, you had Appendicitis."

Steven cocked his head in confusion. He really hadn't had many human diseases or ailments before, so this was a whole new animal to him. Noticing that his son was visibly puzzled, Greg cleared his throat as he explained.

"So, there's this organ that humans have. It's, er, called an Appendix… Anyway, yours, eh, wasn't workin' right. So, Doctor Maheswaran and her medics had to perform an Appendectomy to… you know, get it outta you. Basically, it's kind of like you had your own little Cluster that was about to explode inside of you."

" _ **What?!**_ " Steven's face turned white as a sheet.

"B-but, it didn't! Iiiit didn't!" Greg's face flashed burgundy as he chuckled nervously. He looked to the gems for a little support.

"Uhh, y-yeah!" Amethyst chimed in, "And the best part iiiiissss… _Ta-da_!"

Amethyst then reached from under the lab table to grab -

"-They put it in a _**jar**_ _!_ Now you can look at it all day, dude! It's like your own li'l pet!"

" _ **Wh-what?!**_ " Steven thought he might throw up all over again.

"Steven," Garnet chimed in, giving Amethyst one of her sternest looks, "You were very, very sick. Why didn't you tell us?"

Steven could feel his own face turning red, "Well… I just…"

He looked around the room. He looked at the people who truly loved him the most. And he smiled as he sighed.

"I'm sorry, guys. I… should've said something."

"And you should have asked for help," Pearl added, sitting beside him on the bed, "Steven, you've got a lot on your plate. And that's wonderful! _You're_ wonderful… But you're burning the candle at both ends."

This made Steven think of the dream.

_~You're only human, y'know?~_

Steven felt a hand press on his shoulder to bring him back to the present.

"Pearl's right, kiddo," his father insisted, "You're gonna be laid up for quite a while. That means no runnin' around 'til those stitches are good an' healed."

"And until your fever's finally gone," Garnet added, feeling the teen's sweaty forehead.

_~It's okay to give yourself a break.~_

Steven grinned. "I think I can live with that."

With smiles all around, a knock on the door came pounding through.

"It's open!" Amethyst called.

Slowly, the door creaked open to reveal -

"Bismuth? Peridot? Lapis?" Steven cried excitedly, "What are you all doing here?"

"Well," Peridot began, shrugging slightly, "We were informed of your condition, and believed it was necessary to conduct a status report regarding your -"

"What the brainiac means," Bismuth interjected, "Is that we were worried about you, Steven."

Soaring over on water-bent wings, Lapis refilled the water in Steven's drinking cup.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Much, thanks," Steven commented, gulping the liquid, "But I'll probably be working on the sidelines for the rest of the Little Homeworld construction."

"Wh-what?! 'Sidelines'?!" Peridot exclaimed, "But we're -"

Sideways glances from Bismuth and Lapis urged Peridot to rethink her response.

"Buuuut we're thrilled to hear that. Yes, _thrilled!_ We, uh, we could use some visual perspective from the… 'sidelines'."

"Yeah," Bismuth added, nudging Steven lightly, "And we know that with you on the team, weeee're…"

"Weeee're…" Steven geared up.

"Weee're iiin ' _Bismuth_ '!" the two exclaimed.

Lapis chuckled lightly at the sight, while Peridot merely looked on.

"I still don't get it," Peridot whispered quietly.

"It's okay," Lapis jested, "You don't need to."

Shrugging, Peridot grabbed her screen pad, "Well, would you look at the numbers! Those percentages aren't going to budge by themselves."

"Yeah, we should get going," Lapis added, giving Steven a light hug, "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"Will do!" he replied with a yawn.

"And no workin' too hard," Bismuth added, exiting the room, "That's not your… heehee… 'Bismuth"! Haha! Get it?!"

"Ha ha, y-yup," Steven replied, forcing a laugh. Man, he loved those corny gems.

As the three gems exited the room, the door hung open; and in came -

"Connie?!"

" _ **STEVEN!"**_

Racing to the bed, the teenage girl wrapped her left arm around the human-gem hybrid's neck. Tears pushed through the corners of her eyes as she gazed at her friend. She was so happy to see him doing better! Though his eyes still looked a bit tired, his color had improved immensely, and his innocent, round face could still brighten any room.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright! You scared the **heck** outta me! How do you feel?"

"Well… _much better now_ ," Steven said cooly, trying to make his voice sound deeper. This made Connie giggle and blush lightly, as the other gems and Greg watched on.

"Good gravy," Greg whispered to himself.

"What's wrong with Steven's voice?" Pearl added confusedly.

"I predict it'll be alright," Garnet winked, catching their vibes.

"Whoot whoo!" Amethyst called.

" **Ahem…** "

Clearing her throat, Dr. Mahaswaran casually approached Steven's bedside. Both Connie and Steven could feel their cheeks burning fiercely.

"Connie," her mother insisted, "Didn't you have a private badminton practice scheduled tonight?"

"Uh, y-yes," Connie stuttered anxiously, "But she cancelled on me. I swear! So… I came here."

"Hm. I see," the doctor commented, looking at the two teens, "Well, the patient needs his rest, you know. After a major surgery like that, I'm surprised you have any energy to entertain at all, Steven."

"Ooh!" Greg piped up, grabbing his guitar from beside the hospital chair, "Uh, speaking of 'entertaining'..."

Steven's eyes lit up at the sight of the instrument.

"Aw, yes! Doctor Mahaswaran… would… would it be alright if -"

"I'll allow one song," the strict doctor stated, "Just one. Then it's really time for you to get some rest."

Both Connie and Steven exalted with joy.

"Woohoo! You rock, Mom!"

Smirking slightly, Connie's mother began to check Steven's vital signs. Meanwhile, Greg began to fine-tune his guitar.

"You're gonna love this one, Shtoo-ball," Greg said, "I'm really feelin' the jive with it!"

Stifling a yawn, Steven commented, "'M sure it's great, Dad."

"Is there room for a drum solo in, Greg?" Amethyst added with a wink.

"Well -"

"Or a dance number?" Pearl jested.

"Uhh…"

"Nothing is more timeless than a nice, old-fashioned keytar." Garnet added, flashing a wide smile.

"Mmmmaybe. Just tell me whatcha think, 'kay Steven? ...Steven?"

His son's response was in the form of a quiet series of snores. Gently, Steven's chest heaved steadily beneath the blanket. His face, as well, was relaxed and content as he slept: a small grin was threaded along the brim of his mouth.

Shrugging lightly, Greg played an oldie (but a goodie). He hadn't played it in years, but it always did the trick when he needed to put Steven to sleep as a baby. Meanwhile, Amethyst sat on the ground, rocking back and forth to the beat. Pearl and Garnet agreed to take shifts bringing Greg and Connie some coffee and tea (respectively) as the night went on. There was no chance of them leaving the boy's side.

Speaking of Connie, Doctor and Mister Mahaswaran had no qualms with her staying out. Since it was summertime, and the weekend, they found it quite safe: so long as she didn't bother Steven, that is. Well into the night, when everybody was asleep, Steven briefly stirred to find Connie right at his bedside. Exchanging smiles briefly, Steven quickly fell back into a deep sleep. Peering around to be sure nobody could see, Connie rose over her friend's bedside and lightly pecked him on his rosy cheek.

"Feel better, Steven," she whispered softly. She grabbed his hand, placed her glasses on the nearest nightstand, and began to drift off into sleep herself.

"Thanks, Connie... for everything," Steven whispered back to a now sleeping Connie. Sighing contentedly, for the first time in a long time, the young human-gem hybrid dreamt up happy thoughts as he slumbered.

' _Yup… just another day.'_


End file.
